Manufacturing of First Pair of Tunnel Boring Machines for Hudson Tunnel Project Completed

On Dec 16, 2025

The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) announced at its recent Board Meeting that manufacturing and testing of the first two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) that will be used for construction of the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP) is complete.

The TBMs will now be shipped to New Jersey, where they will be assembled on site at the base of the Palisades in North Bergen. Components of the first TBM will begin arriving at the construction site in January and tunnel boring will start in the spring.

In a joint statement, Alicia Glen, New York GDC commissioner and co-chair, Balpreet Grewal-Virk, New Jersey GDC commissioner and co-chair, and Tony Coscia, GDC Amtrak commissioner and vice chair, said, “We are on the verge of a new phase of the Hudson Tunnel Project. When the two tunnel-boring machines that were manufactured this year begin their journey under the Palisades, it will represent a major step forward for the project. We could not have reached this point without the support of our partners in Washington and the states. We look forward to continuing to work together to deliver the most urgent passenger rail project in the country in the new year.”

GDC CEO Thomas Prendergast said, “Completing the factory acceptance tests for the first set of tunnel boring machines is a significant milestone. These TBMs are not standard construction equipment. They are massive, highly complex machines that have been custom-built for the Hudson Tunnel Project. Producing them is an impressive feat in-and-of itself. The two years of work that our teams on the ground in New Jersey have done to prepare for the arrival of the TBMs is just as impressive. Reaching this milestone on schedule sends a clear message: GDC is delivering as promised, and we will continue to deliver in the years ahead.”

These TBMs will be used to build roughly one mile of the new rail tunnel on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. They will bore the two parallel tunnel tubes simultaneously, installing the concrete tunnel liner behind them as they go. Each machine will build approximately 30 feet of new tunnel per day.

The factory acceptance test for the first TBM was completed in September. The test for the second machine took place in early December.

The first TBM is currently being shipped to New Jersey. Components will arrive at Port Elizabeth and Baltimore, Maryland in January. From there, they will be trucked to the construction site in North Bergen. On-site assembly and testing will take roughly three months, putting this TBM on track to begin tunnel boring in the spring.

The second TBM will ship in early 2026. Components will begin to arrive at the North Bergen construction site in March, and this machine will begin tunnel boring in the summer.

Construction Progress Update

GDC provided an update on the five active HTP construction projects. Recent activities include:

• Completing the bridge structure and opening the passage beneath Tonnelle Avenue. This was a critical step that will enable the TBM components to be brought in for assembly.
• Excavating the portal launch box at the base of the Palisades where the TBMs will be assembled and start boring the new tunnel tubes.
• Starting construction of the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing – Section 3 tunnel box. The first major concrete pour took place in October.
• Deep soil mixing in the Hudson River. Approximately 60,000 square feet of the riverbed has now been stabilized. This fall, GDC’s contractor shifted the temporary cofferdam 300 feet east toward Manhattan to enable work on a new section of the riverbed.
• Installing the guide walls and beginning work on the slurry walls for the Hudson County Access Shaft in New Jersey and the 12th Avenue Access Shaft in New York.
• Ground stabilization in Hudson River Park and on marine temporary structures in the Hudson River to strengthen the subsurface areas beneath the Manhattan bulkhead in preparation for tunnel boring.

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